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METRO
FEATURE
Slice
Of Salsa
 Mumbai
raged with Salsa fever for three days last week when the carnival, brought
to India by Bacardi-Martini, started on an informal note at The Club,
Andheri. The Congreso Bacardi De La Salsa, a global troupe of professional
and amateur Salsa dancers, did moravy duty dancing on the floor-with the
audience. The idea being to involve the people dance rather than have
a routine dispassionate display. Said Roeglio Moreno, a choreographer
on the team: "Indians make for a really receptive audience, and such
enthusiasm does wonders for Salsa." At the next day-class Mumbaikars
turned up in hordes to groove with their American and Puerto Rican teachers.
The grand finale - a Masquerade party at the Taj President. Said Stacey
and Lucy Lopez, the husband-wife team of choreographers: "Salsa is
our identity. And we take pride in teaching Indians." Looks like
Mumbaikars agree.
-Natasha
Israni
Style
Exchange
Fashion shows
at designer showrooms rarely create a buzz. But when Kaaya-a retail store
for women in Delhi-put out a catwalk on their premises last week, among
the list of those whose creations were presented was a lady who couldn't
make it to the show: Pakistani designer Shaiyanne Malik. And though cross-border
exchanges of the India-Pak kind always evoke interest, Malik attracted
attention for her work too. Her collection at the show ranged from bridalwear
to what she describes as "clothes you could put on for a friend's
wedding", formal eveningwear that included a striking lace, silk
and net sarong-and-top ensemble with floral applique work and embroidery.
Malik's label is not stocked anywhere else in India, but she's a familiar
name back home, having been around for 12 years. "I started designing
as a side business, because I didn't want to do something that would take
time away from my kids. Now my hobby has become my work," says the
34-year-old, a post-graduate in Law from Karachi. Shaiyanne, incidentally,
is Persian for "one who is worthy of respect". She'd like to
earn her name.
-Anna
M.M. Vetticad
Men
At Work
 |
| Sanjay
Kumar's Harmony in Form; and (right) a painting session in the jail |
For these
youngsters, it's a chance to be seen outside the grey walls of their cells.
A website showcasing 33 art works by adolescent prisoners in Delhi's Tihar
Jail-Jail No. 5 to be precise-has just been launched. "Why stifle
talent when you can take it from inside prison to the global village today?"
asks the jail superintendent, A.K. Kaushal. Dubbing it "creative
art therapy", jail staff plied interested inmates with paper and
paint and coaxed them with ideas. The works in the online gallery, priced
between $200 and $400 (Rs 9,000-18,000), cover themes reflective of their
state of mind, perhaps: Autumn, Caught in a Web, Melancholy, From Darkness
to Light, among others. Kaushal admits: "Some of the prisoners
had even drawn pictures of their life in prison, and against the judicial
system, but only the positive ones have made it to the gallery for starters,
though these will also be added soon." The prison plans to throw
in another 70 works by former jail-birds, and pay them 25 per cent of
the proceeds (the balance to go to the Prisoners' Welfare Fund). As for
the inmates, it's a window to the world.
-Methil
Renuka
Festival
Watch
So we all
know the six-month-long German Festival in India is on now. Here's a checklist
of events coming up in October-November:
»"New
Berlin: A Photo Exhibition" on the developments in the
city after the fall of the wall. At Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai (October
22- November 6, and November 9-25). Also at the Lalit Kala Akademi in
Delhi till October 24.
»Exhibition
of Medieval Art from German National Museum's collection. Features
bronze statues, gold artefacts and more. At Delhi's National Museum (October
30-November 25); Indian Museum, Calcutta (December 13-January 7); Salarjung
Museum, Hyderabad (January 28-February 18).
»Bavarian
world music from Rudi Zapf on the dulcimer and Wolfgang Neumann
on a guitar. In Mumbai on November 3, in Hyderabad, on November 5, in
Chennai on November 7, Thiruvananthapuram on November 9, and Delhi on
November 20.
More details? Call (011) 332-9506/4.
-Methil
Renuka
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Relics
of old empires exist everywhere. Why can't the Mani Shankar Aiyars of
India let them be? asks INDIA TODAY Senior Editor Ravi Shankar in
